Louis schultz



(No Model.)

L. SCHULTZ. STOP MOTION FOR SEWING MAGHINES.

No. 602,876. PatentedApr. 26,1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT heron.

LOUIS SCHULTZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO LOUISE SCHULTZ, OF SAME PLACE.

STOP-MOTION FOR SEWING-MACHINES SFEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 602,876, dated April 26, 1898. Application filed December 16 1896. Serial No- 615,899. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS SCHULTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Stop-notions, of which the following'is a specification.

This invention relates to astop-motion applicable to various machines-as, for example, sewing or tuftin g machines or gan g-n eedle or quilting machines and others; and the invention resides in the novel features of construction set forth in the following specification and claims and illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 isaside elevation of a stop-motion. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a modification. Fig. 4 is a plan view of another modification. Fig. 5 is a plan view of another modification.

In the drawings is shown a shuttle or lookstitch sewing-machine, although the invention is not confined to such machine. The shuttle 1 has its seat shown at 2 and is actuated by a suitable driver, such as a reciprocating slide or bar 3, with lever or actuator l. The shuttle travels in a suitable race or space between bars or rails 5. An arm or slide 6 can move in a way formed in or along a rail 5. This arm or slide 6 carries or forms part of a feeler 7. This feeler is shown perforated or in form of an eye for the engagement or passage of thread. In place of an eye shape the feeler mi ghtbe differently formedas, for example, hook shape, curved, or as a plain or straight finger. An eye shape has an advantage in not loosing or being able to loose the thread as long as the latter is unbroken or continuous in its passage through the eye.

A lever S, fulcrumed at 9, is connected by link 10 with a cam 11 on shaft 12. As the lever 8 is moved against arm 6 or against a shoulder or contact-point 13 on said arm the latter is moved to bring the eye or feeler into such position that the needle 14: can pass down or through the goods or throat-plate.

(Not shown.) hen the lever is withdrawn or swung away from the arm 6, the latter tends to move away from the needle under by the weight 15 when released from lever 8.

Should such thread break and the arm 6 be freed, the weight 15 will drop into the path of the tail or arm 17 of lever 17 18, fulcrumed at 19 on a blade or reciprocating slide 20. This slide 20 acts as a carrier for the lever 17 18 and is reciprocated by lever 21 22, fulcrumed at 23, the lever-arm 22 being engaged by cam 24 on shaft 12. The lever-arm 18 reaches into engagement with a stud or contact part 25 on a stopping or releasing mechanism-such, for example, as a belt-shifter 26. When new the slide 20 carries the levertail17 against the fallen weight 15, the leverarm 18 will press on stud 25 to actuate the shifter or stopping mechanism 26.

In place of having the weight 15 contact with lever part 17 the arm 6', Fig. 3, can have a part 27 adapted to engage or contact with lever part 17 when the arm 6 is freed by the breaking of the thread.

The device is timed so that while the needle 14 descends or passes into the goods the lever 8 holds the arm 6 against the action of the weight or spring, and when the thread is drawn taut or the needle has risen the lever 8 is withdrawn, and the feeler 7, with arm 6, is then held by such thread against motion by the spring. This feeler 7, touching both the shuttle and needle-thread, will test both, and in case either thread is broken the consequent slackness of thread or the release of the feeler will allow the arm 6 to slide or move to position for engaging the stop mechanism. The feeler 7 when put close under the throatplate will be at or nearly at the looping or interlockin g point of the needle and shuttle threads, so as to test or feel both threads at certain intervals.

Of course the device can be modified without departing from the invention.

In Fig. 2 the arm 6 is shown moving par allel to the direction of motion of the shuttle; but manifestly the arm might be made to move at any angle to the shuttle-path, or the relative direction of travel of the shuttle and arm can be variedas, for example, in Fig. 4, where the shuttle 1 is shown adapted to travel a circular or curved path or race 5. The feeler 7 can be pivoted, as at 28, to follow the circular shuttle-path, and the arm 6 can be suitably connected to the feeler, as by a pin-and-slot connection 29 and 30, or in place of a belt-shifter, as 26, other stopping or releasing mechanism can be used, as a slide 26, Fig. 5, which can be pressed by a spring or weight 31 against arm 32 of lever 32 33, so as to hold the pulley 34 against the friction disk or clamp 35, secured to shaft 36. As soon as lever-arm 18 presses on stud 25 to move the slide 26 against the action of spring 31 the lever 32 33 is freed to allow the pulley 34, which is loose on shaft 36, to disengage itself from the clamp or disk 35, so that the shaft 36 and pulley 34 will no longer communicate rotation to one another.

In Fig. 2 are shown a series of shuttle-races, as can be found, for example, in quiltingmachines. For each shuttle with its needle there can manifestly be provided afeeler and also a lever, such as 17 18, brought into play by the arm of such feeler. In Fig. 2 throats or passages 37 for the needles are shown in sh uttle-race rails, and such rails have a channel or path 38 for the motion of the feelerarm 6.

Theinvention is of course applicable to single-needle machines as well as to gangs of needles, and the feeler 7 can be used not only in a lock-stitch machine, but also in a chainstitch machine or double chain-stitch, such as a Grover & Baker machine.

The operation of the device is readily understood. The lever or actuator 8 having moved the feeler 7 into alinement with needle 14 the point of the latter moves toward the work or throat plate to make a stitch and then returns, and when the thread running from the last stitch to the returned needle is drawn sufficiently taut-as, for example, at the moment of setting the stitch-the lever 8 is withdrawn or releases the feeler 7, which is now held against the action of spring or weight 15 bysuch taut thread. If such thread is broken or excessively slack, the feeler 7 or its arm 6 is moved by the spring or weight to engage or bring the'stopping or releasing device into action. In a chain-stitch machine a breakage or improper slackness of the thread releases the feeler. In a lock-stitch or shuttle machine the breakage of the needle-th read frees the feeler, while on a breakage of the shuttle-thread the needle-thread would fail to be locked or engaged by the shuttle-thread, and such needle-thread would consequently slacken to such an extent as to no longer hold the feeler 7 against the action of the spring or weight 15 when the lever 8 is withdrawn.

The weight 15 can be prevented by a suitable stop or guide 39 from being swung laterally when struck by lever-tail 17 What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a movable threadfeeler constructed to engage a thread, a lever arranged to engage the feeler, means for actuating said lever to hold the feeler stationary when the thread is slack, means for moving the feeler away from the thread when the latter breaks and disengages the feeler, a releasing or stop mechanism, and mechanism actuated by the feeler for throwing the releasing or stop mechanism into action upon the breakage of the thread, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a thread-feeler constructed to engage a thread and a releasing or stop mechanism, of a lever arranged to engage the feeler, means for throwing said lever into engagement with the feeler and hold the latter in the thread-path when the thread is slack and throw said lever out of engagement with the feeler and release the latter when the thread is taut, a spring operating to normally move the feeler away from the thread, and means engaged by the feeler when it moves away from the thread and constructed and arranged to actuate thereleasing or stop mechanism, substantially as described.

3. A movable eye or thread-feeler combined with a lever or actuator for the feeler, a link and cam for causing the lever to intermittently move the feeler to the thread-path when the thread is slack and to release the feeler when the thread is tightened, a spring for moving the feeler in opposition to the lever, a releasing or stop mechanism toward which the feeler moves on being released by the lever, and means, substantially as described, for securing the cooperation of the feeler and stop mechanism.

4. A sewing-machine needle, and a threadfeeler, combined with a lever or actuator for moving the feeler to .the needle-path, a stop mechanism toward which said feeler normally moves, means substantially as described for moving the lever to carry the feeler to and hold the same at. the needle-path while the needle passes through said feeler and until the needle returns and clearsthe feeler and tightens the thread and for then moving the lever to release the feeler for allowing the latter to draw on the tightened thread so as to feel the latter substantially as described.

5. The combination with a sewing-machine, of a movable feeler having an eye for the passage therethrough of the needle and thread, a lever arranged to engage the feeler to move the same and bring its eye into coincidence with the needle, means for throwing said lever into and out of engagement with the feeler, means for retracting the feeler from the needle,a releasing or stop mechanism; and means, substantially as described, operated by the feeler when the latter is retracted for throwing the releasing or stop mechanism into action, substantially as described.

6. A sewing-machine provided with a needle shuttle-race and a shuttle, a movable eye or feeler, a lever or actuator for moving the feeler into position for the passage of the needle when the thread is'slack and then releasing said feeler when the thread is tightened, a spring for moving the feeler away from the needle, a releasing or stop mechanism, and codperating means substantially as described between the feeler and the stop mechanism substantially as described. 7

7. A sewing-machine provided with a shuttle, bars or guiding-rails forming a race for the shuttle, a thread eye or feeler having an arm guided by a shuttle-race rail, a lever or actuator and a spring for reciprocating the feeler-arm, and a releasing or stop mechanism and cooperating means substantially as described between the feeler-arm and the stop mechanism, said shuttle-race rail having a throat for the passage or entrance of the needle substantially as described.

8. A sewing-machinecomprising a needle, combined with a thread eye or feeler, a lever or actuator, a spring, and a releasing or stop mechanism toward which the feeler is moved by the spring, and cooperating mechanism substantially as described between the feeler and stop mechanism, said various parts being timed with relation to one another so that the lever moves the feeler into alinement with the needle, and holds said feeler while the thread is slack and the point of the needle passes by and returns clear of the feeler, and the lever releases the feeler for actuation by the spring when the thread is drawn tight substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS SCHULTZ.

Witnesses:

WM. G. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

